One of the largest homebuilders in Chihuahua City has moved into the El Paso market. Corporación Técnica de Urbanismo, or CTU, plans to build 134 homes in Horizon Hills, located between Eastlake and Horizon boulevards in far East El Paso County, reported Fernando Torres, vice president of operations for Metro Homes, the company name being used by CTU in the United States.

Metro Homes opened four model homes last month in the new subdivision.

"Three years ago, CTU decided to expand to the U.S. and into Central Mexico," Torres said.

El Paso was chosen as the first location in the United States because it's familiar territory for Andres and Federico Elias, the brothers who operate the family-owned company, he said.

"They have been going back and forth between Chihuahua and El Paso since they were kids," Torres said.

"CTU, established in 1947, is a well-known, family-owned company in Chihuahua City that has developed a series of master plans (communities) with over 20,000 residential lots and more than 15,000 homes," Torres said. It's also building several condo towers in Chihuahua.

It also develops and builds commercial, retail and industrial buildings, and hotels, he said.

No matter the size of the company, breaking into the El Paso home market, dominated for years by local builders, has been difficult for out-of-town builders.

Fort Worth-based D.R. Horton, the nation's largest homebuilder came into the El Paso market four years ago, and has averaged modest sales here of 65 homes each year.

By contrast, El Paso's largest local homebuilders have been selling around 230 to 300 homes each year in recent years, which have been slow years in the local new home market.

CTU has been building about 500 homes a year in Chihuahua in recent years, Mara Cruz, a company spokeswoman in Chihuahua, said in an email. That ranks it first or second in Chihuahua, depending on the year, she said.

The company also has built a 21-story, 60-unit condo building in Chihuahua City, and has two other condo buildings under construction with a total of 940 units.

Ray Adauto, executive vice president of the El Paso Association of Builders, the local homebuilders group, said getting lots has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks for out-of-town builders.

Out-of-town builders don't have a relationship with El Paso's two largest land developers, and "they are cautious about who they sell to," Adauto said.

Edgar Montiel, owner of Palo Verde Homes in El Paso and president of the El Paso Association of Builders, said out-of-town builders may struggle because profit margins are lower here than in other markets.

"I think that any time a large national company, or international in this case, enters our market, it is good for our economy and our community," Montiel said in an email. "It will create jobs, and will give homebuyers another option to consider when looking for a new home."

The competition also "keeps builders on their toes so that we don't become stagnant in our ways of doing business," he said.

David Acosta, owner of the David Acosta Real Estate Group, sales agent for Metro Homes, said CTU is already succeeding in this market because it has secured a large number of lots to build homes.

Torres said CTU bought the lots from Althon Investments, an El Paso company that developed the 453-lot Horizon Hills. Tropicana Homes and CareFree Homes also are building in the subdivision.

CTU also wants to build in other areas of El Paso, Torres said.

Acosta said CTU is "bringing a fresh product to this area," and offering more features for less price than found in similar-sized homes from other large-volume builders in El Paso.

Metro Homes has four floor plans, ranging from a 1,547-square foot, three-bedroom home for $160,000 to a 2,118-square foot, two-story, four-bedroom for $200,000.

The homes' exteriors are made of stucco with a contemporary design that looks different than tract homes from other local builders.

The floor plans are modern, open and interactive, Torres said last week as he gave a tour through Metro's model homes. Two of its models have wet bars next to the kitchen, one feature that differentiates its floor plans from other high-volume builders in this market, he said.

Torres pointed to a USB port in the kitchen and in the master bedroom as one of several "small details" Metro is including as standard features in its homes to make them stand out in its price range. It's equipping all homes with electronic thermostats that can be controlled remotely with smartphones, he noted.

The company is building energy- and water-efficient homes, and it's using a lot of recycled building materials, he said.

CTU, which is using local subcontractors, had to adapt to the U.S. ways of building homes.

"In Mexico, most of the construction is done with concrete brick and block. We don't use much wood (in homes) in Mexico," Torres said.

"It took CTU a couple of years to do the research and understand the market, and the way (home building) companies run the business here," Torres said.

Metro has built 10 homes on speculation in Horizon Hills, and has four under contract, Torres said. Its first sale is expected to close this week, he said.

The company also is looking to expand into Midland-Odessa, Austin and possibly other Texas cities, Torres said.